Episode Report Card Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT ...And Expiation (2)
By Gwen | Season 4 | Episode 8 | Aired on 11.14.1999
The woman, whose name I still don't know, leads Mary into her office and is being all hard-ass with her because she has to come in on a Sunday to review Mary's case. She starts interrogating Mary, asking if she does drugs, drinks, or has a boyfriend she "couldn't get enough of." Mary's shaking her head no. The woman offers a bunch of other excuses such as Marilyn Manson's music, and then says there's got to be something that Mary's gonna blame for what she did. Nope, says Mary. The woman wants to know why she should consider Mary for the Diversion Program. Mary isn't sure. She's made mistakes but for the most part she's always been a "pretty good kid," she says. The woman isn't impressed and tells her "Pretty good kids don't trash other people's property. What else have you got?" Mary sighs and looks afraid. I have a flashback to a movie I saw once about a women's prison where the warden had a bedroom onsite and the prisoners got to wear lingerie.
Matt knocks on the door of Chickenhead's pad. Chickenhead puts down her In Style, gets off her chair, and shows us the waistband of her underwear. She opens the door and gives Matt a prolonged, wordless smirk. Instead of apologizing for his tantrum the day before, Matt says that it doesn't matter who was right or wrong in their argument because his family doesn't need him anymore. Sob! Chickenhead joins him on the couch with a big smile. Matt whines that he no longer has a role in his family and then Chickenhead quotes a bunch of stuff she heard on a talk show about roles changing as family members grow older. Matt says a really long sentence about responsibility and manliness. Chicken gives him a super-big, feral smile. I notice that the two of them have the same haircut. Matt finally apologizes. Chicken kisses him. He sighs happily and says that he's off to John's to apologize for being a loser and to kick out the new roommate. He kisses Chicken goodbye. Bye, loser!
Oh, man. You are not even going to believe this, but the next scene is actually of Simon and Ruthie leaving a Buddhist temple. This might have been funny if it weren't so pointless and contrived. This time, when Simon says "thank you" to the sky, a voice calls back down, "And this time, freaking TELL IT TO YOUR PARENTS AND QUIT BUGGING ME!" Not. But it wouldn't have been unwarranted for a sky-voice to do so. Ruthie's walking very strangely with her stomach pushed out and her elbows cocked back. I think she has to go to the bathroom.